On the 40th anniversary of the much-loved 4-day bluegrass bacchanalia, veteran pickers take a look back on how it all came to be

I like to celebrate post-trail with a few high-quality adult beverages. Where would you recommend for an avid hiker who’s also a beer nut, a wine lover, and a liquor snob?

There’s been a lot of talk lately about who should foot the bill for backcountry rescues. I’m usually pretty careful, but accidents happen, and I don’t want to get stuck with the tab. Should I purchase rescue insurance for my next way-out-there trip?

I’m headed to Hawaii, but lying on the beach is not my thing. What hikes would you recommend?

I’m well-versed in bear safety techniques, but I have no idea how to handle a cougar encounter on the trail. Help!

I’m new to Tornado Alley, and I’m nervous about getting caught outdoors during a twister this summer. How much warning will I have that a storm is on the way?

With the spring skiing season winding down, I'm starting to go into withdrawal. I'd like to get a few more turns in, but I don't want to go down to South America. What are my options?

I’m planning a vacation to Montreal, and while I’ve heard lots about its urban charms, I don’t know much about its wilderness access. Where can I play outside within a couple hours of the city?

I’m headed across the pond to Great Britain, and I’d like to do some hiking while I’m there. What are my best best for logging some trail time?

I’ve done some climbing and mountaineering in the Lower 48, and I’ve been thinking about attempting Denali. What kind of prior experience do I need to tackle The High One?

And we mean "trips" in the literal sense. Our contributors share their most-loved, go-to spots across the U.S.

What do you do when winter just won't let go? Elizabeth Eilers Sullivan and her family hole up in a cabin in Minnesota to wait out snow season’s last gasp.

Soaring and sailing with the Wolf Pack in the new Hyundai Santa Fe

I'm planning on heading up north this summer to do some hiking in Alaska and the Yukon. Where should I go?

Childhood is the perfect time to solidify your kids' love of the outdoors. These camps are here to help.

I’m not a cruiser or a yachtie, but I love getting a good look at the land from the water when I travel. Can you recommend some memorable–and affordable–public ferry rides in North America?

My friends and I are always careful to be bear-safe when we camp in bear country. We store our food in bear barrels, and we don’t leave our dirty dishes and open food containers sitting around. But we’ve been known to linger around the fire for a beer or three. Should we be worried about attracting hungry animals with our brews?

From Everest Base Camp, professional climbing guide Garrett Madison has been following developments on the fight between Ueli Steck, Simone Moro, Jonathan Griffith, and a group of Sherpas. He gives us the insider perspective and what the media got wrong.

The sinkhole that swallowed a Florida man while he slept in March has me imagining the ground opening up beneath me while I hike or camp. Am I watching too much cable news, or are sinkholes a real danger?

I don't eat out a lot, but when I do, I like to order local. What are your recommendations for farm-to-table dining?

I want to hike part of the Appalachian Trail with my 16-year-old son this summer. We plan to go for a week. What are the best stretches for a trip like this?

Trips and activities to keep you outside during the mucky months

The ponies that carried Genghis Khan’s warriors are small, tough, and skittish as hell, making the prospect of riding them for 1,000 kilometers seem downright insane. American cowboy Will Grant couldn’t resist, so he entered the Mongol Derby—the longest, hardest horse race in the world—determined not just to finish but to win.

The new country of South Sudan is blessed with oil, water, and a safari bonanza: one of the largest, most stunning animal migrations on earth. But without roads, laws, or infrastructure, can Africa’s youngest state turn potential into stabilizing profit? Patrick Symmes joins the adventure.

In 1966, a group of gravediggers in West Virginia reported seeing a flying humanoid figure with glowing red eyes. A year later, a nearby bridge collapsed, killing 46 people. Coincidence? Probably, but who knows.

When I travel, I like to bring my shoes with me and sneak in a run during my free time. What U.S. cities have the best, most convenient trails for visitors?

Travel to these destinations for tons of open space—and it's all yours

I saw the video of that awful hot-air balloon crash in Egypt. I’m going on a trip to Switzerland soon and am thinking of taking a hot-air balloon ride while I’m there. How safe are they?

Three new trips in the world's wildest places

Can't wait for the weather to warm up? With balmy temperatures year-round, miles of world-class trails, and a laid-back, kid-friendly atmosphere, L.A.'s southern neighbor has you covered.

I often buy flight and baggage insurance when I get plane tickets. Am I doing the right thing?

Get way out there at a new hotel in the foothills of the Himalayas

Rock Hopping and Wrangling with the Wolf Pack in the New Hyundai Santa Fe

I’m going backpacking through South America in a few months. I expect to get kind of grubby, and won't have regular access to showers. What’s the best way to stay clean and not stink without taking a bath every couple of days?

I want to take a trip to somewhere in Central America where I can see the rainforest and spend some time on the beach. Should I go with Costa Rica or Honduras?

Katie Heaney fell off a horse. Years later, she got back on. You can decide whether or not this works as a metaphor for something else.

How do I get cheap airline upgrades from economy class?

Bringing local specialties home with you can be tricky, thanks to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's often impenetrable, occasionally draconian rules. Here's how to get the good stuff back safely.

Classic American adventures with great meals

Think the New York City Marathon is punishing? Try filling up on the the city's most iconic foods as you go.

I'm going to be visiting some old college friends in the great state of Colorado in the coming weeks and am looking for something I know everyone will enjoy doing. Help?

Belize has world-famous diving and wild rainforests. This lodge has the menu to match.

From southern Europe to southeast Asia, six regions where great adventure is infused with even better food. Pack your appetite.

Elizabeth Gilbert says she’s never going back to Luang Prabang. Her memory of the place—and of one meal in particular—is too wonderful to risk a second glance.

It's 13 miles from the top of Broadway to the bottom. Oh, and if you're wondering, it's definitely possible to get lost along the way.

In short: they clean up a lot of poop

Now that the weather’s starting to warm up, I’m planning to start training for a marathon this year. My goal is to qualify for Boston. Which races would give me the best chance for doing it?

Outside chooses the top vacation spots of the year

Where can I find a cheap private island?

Where it's more about skiing than the scene

Katie Heaney tries to figure out the difference between "shriveled dead thing" and chupacabra

Tourists must do their part to be a responsible addition to the ecotourism equation. Here's how.

My college roommates and I are planning a last-minute spring break ski trip, but we don’t know where to go yet. Which resort has the après ski scene for the college or post-college crowd? It has to be somewhere in North America, preferably out West.

Maybe you can answer this age-old question for me: How do you wash your clothes when you’re traveling?

Ken Chase created a company that provides luxury tours for American conservatives. It's—this is important—not a place for angry Cambridge democrats. Also: "angry Cambridge democrat" is really redundant.

From renting a car to cheap places to stay and where to go, 15 tips for skiing the Alps

Riding under the volcanoes

No hike will ever be the same again

Costa rica is basically one giant, overrun eco-resort, right? Not here.

Presenting three great options

Join Ryan Koupal on a four-day adventure

Experience the aurora borealis at Chena Hot Springs Resort

Words of wisdom from Heart publishing executive Michael Clinton, a new backpack developed by Kelly Slater, and a look at the new 50-room Basecamp Hotel in South Lake Tahoe

There is no explicit definition of ocean or marine wilderness anywhere in the world, but there are about a dozen generally-agreed-upon places in the United States where you can—and should—see it

Most people, you know, put on a pair of shoes in order to start running. Chris Hawson, though, needed to take his off.

Budget cuts could cause long-term damage

I travel to China twice a year for work, but never escape the sprawling cities. I’d like to extend my stay next time, and go hiking, or snorkeling, or mountain climbing—something outdoorsy. Where should I go?

Winter is great, except when you’re holed up with no sun all day. Take your weekends back with one of these fresh, easy adventures.

I want to climb one of the Seven Summits and have narrowed the list to Aconcagua or Kilimanjaro. I’m in excellent shape and an experienced hiker, but not a mountaineer. Which one would you recommend?

Whenever I buy plane tickets, I also try to buy carbon offsets. I see it as my way of canceling out my environmental impact. Am I making a difference? Are they worth the money?

In 1900, Chicagoans remade their city’s namesake river. Then they let it go to hell.

When the Reverend Sun Myung Moon died in September, at age 92, obituaries described a man who'd inspired zealous devotion and condemnation—a summation that Moon never shied away from. "I am a controversial person," he wrote in his 2009 autobiography, As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen. "The mere mention of my name causes trouble in the world." Here's a loo

Jason Diamond talks with Michael Kiser, the founder of a site that, well, hunts for good beer

A decade before his death, Sun Myung Moon—multimillionaire founder of the controversial Unification Church—sent a band of followers deep into the wilds of Paraguay, with orders to build the ultimate utopian community and eco-resort. So how’s that working out? Monte Reel machetes his way toward heaven on Earth.

A celebrated backpack maker gets into the travel game

I need to get away.

Avalo York once ruled the Central Park bike loop. He's still there, almost every weekday, but he's been done with racing for a long time.

I’m in my early 20s, and am a lifelong skier here in the East. How do I become a ski patroller?

Katie Heaney goes looking for the dead in Minnesota's (possibly haunted) St. James Hotel

To fulfill a longtime dream and honor the memory of a fallen hero, a Turkish-American software engineer decides to circle the earth by bike and rowboat, powered solely by his own muscle, lungs, and heart. A little obsessive? Maybe, but look closely at the journey of Erden Eruc and you’ll see something else: one of the most incredible adventure stories of our ti